Articles – Gayle Colmanhttps://gaylecolman.com
Wealth is More Than MoneyThu, 17 Jan 2019 18:20:16 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=5.0.3Get Your Giddy Onhttps://gaylecolman.com/blog/get-your-giddy-on/
https://gaylecolman.com/blog/get-your-giddy-on/#respondThu, 17 Jan 2019 18:08:53 +0000https://gaylecolman.com/?p=5842There’s a razors edge of momentum that is both exciting and tilting known as giddy. It is an experience where the unknown, anticipation, trepidation and possibilities swirl together like a spiral of rainbows and snow flurries. Transitions, like the ones we experience at the ends and beginnings of years, or when we move to a new town, or change direction in our careers, or even the loss of a loved one are often saturated with giddy.

I’m suggesting that giddy – with muscle and intention – has great benefits and now, 2019, is a great time to start exercising that fresh muscle. The old adage, there is no time like the present, is the precursor to get your giddy on. Get your giddy on evaporates time and recognizes presence. Presence to the razor’s edge of life, and what brings you to the edge of your heart, your drive, and your purpose.

The last time I felt a surge of my giddy was driving and then walking to the entrance of the Concord public library. The public library is where I devote my energy to writing, more specifically, writing for the book about Somatic Finance®. Giddy feels electric, ecstatic, pure, fluid, a ginormous smile residing in my belly. Giddy is good for our soul, and it helps us gain perspective for how we center our plans, prioritize our actions, and optimize our energy.

When we get our giddy on, the potential to sustain giddy for ourselves and generate giddy for others expands. A few points to recognize about giddy…

Giddy is inside us

Giddy is linked to our unique way of being

Giddy often inspires generosity

Giddy may not make sense to others

Giddy can even scare others

Giddy is both personal and impersonal

Giddy is for us and yet gives beyond us

Are you familiar with giddy? If you read this message and shake your head, trying to figure “it” out, move to curiosity and practice. Practice getting your giddy on. First, ground and commit to giddy, and second, energize movement with your body to activate more awareness.

Commit to growing giddy. You may not know how, why, or what. In fact, committing to anything is necessary for the true how, why and what to reveal themselves. We really know very little when we commit!

Commit verbally and on paper. In simple form, “I commit to growing my giddy,” or more complex: “I commit to growing giddy to support my development and vibrant health.” Or, include a feeling state: “I feel uncertain and I commit to growing my giddy.” Trust the words and phrases that arise from your heart and mind. State them out loud. Write them down. Post your commitment in your environment.

Second, grow giddy with a daily practice a minimum of 2 times a day. In the morning, reflect for two minutes on your day ahead. Select two specific events of the day (e.g. a moment, project, meeting, conversation) to give unbridled attention to giddy – a state of newness, nowness, edginess, where you both know and do not know. You skate (perhaps very slowly) on the razor’s edge.

In these two moments, notice the interior of your body: 1) thoughts, 2) sensations in the form of pressure, temperature and movement, 3) body location and 4) emotional state. Rate on a scale of 1 to 10, your level of giddy.

At the end of the day, reflect back on your two moments, your experience, where your body is most and least alive when giddy, and your rating. Review and respond (in thought or writing) to the following wonder question:

I wonder what barriers to getting my giddy on want to be revealed and released?
I wonder how getting my giddy on serves my growth and how to magnetize giddy in my life?

At the end of the week, reflect on your practice experience and how your body plays a significant role (or not) in getting your giddy on.

Lastly, have some fun. There is much in the world to give our attention, that breaks our heart. And, the more we live fully in presence, the better equipped we are to meet each situation with our brilliant minds and open hearts.

Giddy up!

]]>

https://gaylecolman.com/blog/get-your-giddy-on/feed/0500-Year Planhttps://gaylecolman.com/blog/500-year-plan/
https://gaylecolman.com/blog/500-year-plan/#respondThu, 13 Dec 2018 21:01:57 +0000https://gaylecolman.com/?p=5693At a training fifteen years ago, Gay Hendricks asked all of us, “What is your 500-year plan?” The mind-blowing question woke me up. Longevity takes just a few lucky ones past 100 years — 500 years is clearly beyond our existence in this physical form! Five hundred years takes us beyond the age of the United States. Five hundred years is how we age trees, arctic ice melting, family generations, cultures. Five hundred years is a long time — particularly when our common view of planning is days, weeks, months and a few years.

As a seasoned financial planner, for me planning is like breathing. Astute financial planning consistently projects to timelines of now – next month – next year, and specific goals (retirement, move to a warmer climate, assisting grandchildren.) Planning with these types of goals and needs in mind is important. And, as human beings, once we fulfill our own life aspirations – feeling embodied sufficiency – we long for something more. This eventual openness and generosity is my direct experience working in this profession for over 30 years.

One path of life may lead us to have, experience, and fulfill our needs and our wants, while our heart aches to give back in gratitude for our good fortune. This way of going, on the Virtuous Flow of Somatic Finance, reflects tending to feelings of scarcity, which naturally give way to feelings of sufficiency.

One can also arrive at embodied sufficiency from the other end of the spectrum: generosity. This reflects those of us who hold a belief that giving is better than receiving. When we give out of balance, our own needs of sufficiency are not met. But through thoughtful examination, growth, and the honoring of our self-worth, we learn to meet our own needs as we give attention to others.

These urges to give are gentle invitations to gaze into the horizon of life toward the next 500 years. We recognize how our goals, actions and behavior today, directly affect the lives of humans of tomorrow. The weaving of now and next has vibrant potency. Power-punch: those who plan while holding a 500-year view of both/and (now/next), often wish they had held the vision earlier.

Pause for a moment to let the gravitas as well as joy of the above statements permeate your mind and heart. We won’t be here in 500 years, so how are we “doing” now?

When we pause and reflect on 500 years, what experiences do you recognize in your own life?

We seek, find and engage work to survive, thrive and create in the world.
We spend, save and invest income generated from our work.
We train and continue our education for the benefit of growth, potential and enjoyment.
We pause formal education and seek meaning from other lines of development.
We might travel.
We might raise children.
We volunteer our time and talents.
We maintain our health.
We nurture relationships.
We buy or rent homes.
We create.

And then, what else happens?

We feel satiated with life. Our heart grows with an ache of love. This swelling in our chest is a call for more. We are seeing, feeling and recognizing the sufficiency of our lives and wondering, what else? What is my work in the world? What kind of legacy will I leave? What can I do to make the world a better place for all beings?

A 500-year plan makes much more sense to us. We open our eyes, long-closed, towards that horizon which beckons our attention.

Recently I had the good fortune to visit the Grand Canyon, in Arizona. Standing on the solid ground, gazing in the distance at clay and rock formed and shaped by the cosmos… millions and billions of years old. Sobering to say the least. We are living in an interconnected web of life. Humans are one teeny tiny piece of that existence. Our guide shared a fun fact. If humans became extinct, nature would erase our face on this planet within 400 years. How’s that for a 500-year plan?

Planning for 500 years,

]]>https://gaylecolman.com/blog/500-year-plan/feed/0Cosmic Curse Jar: Compost for Gratitude!https://gaylecolman.com/blog/cosmic-curse-jar-compost-for-gratitude/
Wed, 14 Nov 2018 18:15:31 +0000https://gaylecolman.com/?p=5523I use curse words. My favorite is fuck and various versions of it… fucker, fucking, shitfuck and my utmost favorite – unfuckwithable. I am not proud of my “potty mouth,” nor am I ashamed of it. It happens. And I know I am not alone. I have tried to quit, and sometimes, only a curse will do. When in the company of someone who would be offended by strong language, my words are chosen with care. As an adult, hopefully my intention and awareness supports this outcome. But as children in development, parents are the source for good manners and how we kindly relate to others.

When my son was around ten years old, he began to use poor words like the above and my spouse and I knew our parenting needed a boost. Our solution was instituting a curse jar. For every bad word spoken by anyone in the house, a dollar was placed in the jar. Money activities are meant to be motivators to change behavior. Let’s see how this experiment worked.

Our son was all in the game and willing to participate. His competitor persona, vibrant and alive, was ready to play. Our daughter refused unequivocally—and when I suggested that suck was a bad word she told me to “buzz” off. My spouse, ever the polite one, of course was in—but his version of a curse, darn, only highlighted the severity of my obscenities and my bad influence on my growing son’s vocabulary. What came next was not pretty or successful.

The jar was front and center in our family room—ready to receive the cursing cash. We all (except for our daughter who said suck) leaned into the competition and placed our dollars in the jar as the curse words slipped out. More often than not, my purse was not in the vicinity. I asked my spouse for a dollar. His one-dollar bills gone, he gave me a ten. A ten, perfect, I had credit for 9 more cusses. The situation continued for a month. While the money accumulated, cursing moderated, and our son asked incessantly, what’s going to happen with the jar of money?

We never clarified the prize money aspect of our exercise. I made some reference to a fun night out with the family (is that a prize?). Without the clarity of the connection between the financial reward and changed behavior, the activity was doomed to fail. And so, the experiment dwindled over the weeks following our initial gung-ho month. Eventually, the curse jar sat with cash for a few months, and as I cleared the clutter in the kitchen and family room, the cash went into my purse and bought groceries for the week. The outcome lacked impact, but at least the curses were composted for our nourishment.

Returning to the experience and sharing with you cultivates old wounds… a tender place of shame, frustration, and doubt, along with present clarity… and a good dose of humor, reality and acceptance.

In addition to how we are human and sometimes fail at our attempts to change, what is the jewel in this month’s news? It is, in fact, November, the month of giving thanks. Where is my gratitude? I am grateful—for failed attempts to change and the self-acceptance of at least trying. We don’t know what we don’t know until we try. When it comes to change and the lining of money, it gets tricky. So let’s go closer to the money.

First, when money is part of the behavior change, it needs to mean something and that something needs to be clarified. In our example, we needed clarity on our son’s question, what happens with the jar of money. How are we tracking our behavior in relation to the jar of money accumulating? In other words, what is the benefit of our individual and collective decreased cursing? … for me, set a better example for my son. For our son, receiving the jar of money for his own use? For my spouse, support family unity.

Second, metrics to track progress provide encouragement for behavior change. If there are no external markers of success, it requires extra internal mental energy to fuel the game. Are we tracking the money accumulating in the jar? In relation to who is cursing? How do our curses get measured? Who is on first? What is on second?

Third, what is the tension tug? By tension tug I mean where does awareness get activated with tension to shape new behavior. For me, putting a dollar in a jar meant little. And I did not go deeper – activating tension – doing this for the benefit of my son’s development. Not my best mothering moment.

There are many who have successfully changed potty mouth behavior with money. I just Googled swear jars and wasted 20 minutes reading stories. Jar motivation works best with one person, not collectively. But, if I had the chance for a do-over, here’s how I would set it up: a challenge with my son, just the two of us. Curses cost $1.00. For each curse we put a dollar in the jar and we track on a sheet – curses spoken, for a month. At the end of the month, person with the fewer curses wins the jar. Repeat another month. Only this time, we look for decrease in percentage of cursing from prior month for the winner. Repeat another month. At the end of the third month, pause and have a deeper conversation. Besides the reward of money, what else has happened?

The jewel of this month is this: money is a valuable start to behavior change. However, it is not lasting because a lasting change in behavior requires a connection to what deeply matters in the heart. Money did not matter enough to me. Curse words, even today, do not cause distress – in comparison to other life events. I trusted my son, and still do, to navigate his development despite my limitations and negative language influence. I mean he did have his father, who stills says darn.

Cosmically cursing,

]]>Do Unto Others As You Would Have Them Do Unto You.https://gaylecolman.com/blog/do-unto-others-as-you-would-have-them-do-unto-you/
Fri, 12 Oct 2018 15:12:23 +0000https://gaylecolman.com/?p=4648The Golden Rule is most often attributed to words spoken by Jesus in the Bible. But as the following author ponders, this way of being was followed many years before Jesus walked the earth.

What’s truly interesting is that all decent people (not just believers in God) adopt a rule like the Golden Rule. Thus, there really doesn’t seem to be a religious basis for the rule. At bottom, it is a call for empathy. The more I consider morality, the more I think that it is empathy that is the basis for all workable moral systems. No matter what else a supposed moral system is about, if it’s not founded on widespread empathy (not just empathy toward the small circle of one’s own friends and family), it’s not really about morality. ~ Erich Vieth

As children we are indoctrinated with this rule and it is a valuable, simple and effective rule for kindergarteners to follow. But soon after this age, unless we are blessed with conscious loving parents and caregivers, it is common for a deterioration to begin to occur, for us as individuals, along with our self-esteem. We begin a slowly depreciating self-development that withers away self-worth. Some of us begin practices at an early age (our 20s), that allow us to clear away the hurts, the shoulds, the harm that life presented to us. Some of us take a bit longer and require an “event” to wake us up and find a path to freedom. Some of us may not get the wake up call and remain in a trance for the duration of our life.

Where I am going with the do unto others as we would have them do unto us is illuminate the problem with this phrase – because of our own lack of self-esteem and self-awareness. Since most, if not all, of us are not enlightened beings, we carry insults waiting to happen. These are not apparent insults; they are hidden in our own bodies, waiting for us to see them, love them, clear them, and heal them. If we don’t, our do unto others will be our debris waiting to be cleared up.

Said another way, the golden rule doesn’t work because we are not aware that we are worthy of being loved unconditionally. Most of us harbor doubt, confusion, and in the worst case, self-loathing. When we do not love ourselves completely and unconditionally, then any doing unto others carries the same impression, including self-loathing, but directed outwards. We only have the capacity to do unto others, what we do unto ourselves.

The best practice, in a world where much distrust, envy, deceit and anger is floating around, is to love ourselves. When we love ourselves, we soften and attend to the lingering debris in our bodies that calls for attention. We heal the tender holes and tensions with love, self-love. Then, from that place of wholeness we can truly love others. Do unto others what you would do unto yourself, AFTER you have loved yourself with your whole heart and whole mind.

My theory is that bad things happen because unconscious people are spreading their pain to others – doing unto others as they would do to themselves. They don’t know any better.

Do you love yourself fully?
Where might shreds of doubt, insecurity, and self-hindering be lingering in your life?
What sensations do you notice in your body that could be invitations for deeper exploration?
How does money affect your self-love? What pops up with that question?
Where does money live in your body of sufficiency; meaning, feeling whole and nourished with self-care?

These wonder queries are potent places for development.
My suggestion is, don’t go alone in your queries; ask a friend, be with nature, sit in vast silence with the world. We all, and I mean all, have places to heal in our bodies, minds and spirits… and money is nestled in each of those crevices.

It is mind-altering to recognize that as I become whole, heal and love myself unconditionally, everyone and everything around me benefits. In this stage of human development, our motto of loving with the Golden Rule actually has merit.

Self-loving, all-loving,

]]>Questions. What are questions? How do we relate to questions?https://gaylecolman.com/blog/questions-what-are-questions-how-do-we-relate-to-questions/
Fri, 14 Sep 2018 13:22:39 +0000https://gaylecolman.com/?p=4624We might believe that the act of being present, open, loving, receptive and clear is easy. Or, if not easy, we might believe that being with another person is an improvisational skill that can be called upon at a moment’s notice. With authentic heart connections, neither of these beliefs is true. In my experience, we all have debris covering our hearts that prevents the nakedness required to connect deeply, authentically, and without barriers.

What is ripe and alive for me today is questions: the art of asking, receiving, and navigating questions. Recently I assisted in the development of new mentors at a meditation teacher training. The relationship skills being developed are that of support – like a spiritual friend. One of our areas of focus was the practice of fostering connection with another person.

In the training process, we staged simulated conversations (for practice, but naturally drawing on real feelings) for viewing, supporting and critiquing, in service of mentor development. The safe training container allowed for vulnerability to shine, along with a naked presence to strengths and areas of growth. So from where does my curiosity about questions arise?

As we progressed each day with each participant, more often than not the questions posed by the developing “mentor” to their student were self-relevant, meaning the questions attended to something of importance and meaning for the questioner, rather than being of service to the recipient. Time and again, questions arose from the following:

a need to know – holding urgency and anxiety.

a need to fix – as if given enough information an answer to the problem would arise.

a need to understand – the more I resonate with this situation, the more I can be here.

a need to connect – the idea that our thoughts are the best connector between people.

a need to feel in control – fear of intimacy held at bay by controlling how close I get.

In work, in family life, in everyday regular occurrences, and of course with money, we relate to others with questions. It seems, though, our practice of asking questions is limited. It seems that we are tethered very closely to habitual patterns – see above – that likely arose from our childhood days. I hold the same habits and it looks something like this.

When a question is posed to me, I do not automatically answer the question. Instead, I look underneath the question, resting in the space between the other and me, sensing what else might be going on and what is “really” being asked. While this way of relating to questions requires more energy and bandwidth, it is the result of childhood patterning where just the answer to a question was unsatisfactory. More often than not, something else was being asked and it became beneficial to my health, happiness and well being to answer what was underneath the question versus the “face value” question. On the flip side, my questions to others are very intentional, and somewhat limited. I do not ask a lot of questions. I typically try to figure things out for myself. Again, this is not a suggested or preferred way of being; it is my childhood patterning I carry into adulthood.

In this space of curiosity about questions, in the training environment and beyond, I am seeing the various ways that we relate to questions. I notice that when I receive many questions, particularly pointed questions that desire a specific answer, I tend to freeze. As my mind works, there is rarely one “right” answer. So my mind begins to sort and make connections and figure out the most likely or the best answer. At the same time, I am looking underneath for the clues and context as to what is really being asked.

A superior practice is when I rest in the openness of the situation, with my heart wide and my mind curious. The responses – statements, questions, joy, resonance – arise from something other than a habit. Relating to another with generous questions is a very different experience.

We all have our preferences and this message is an invitation to get curious about your way with questions. How do you relate to questions?

In this training, I asked one mentor in training “who is being served by the questions you ask?” She responded with immediate recognition of serving herself and the desire to “buy time” when she struggled with relating from a different place. This simple question dove straight to her pattern where uncertainty and fear resided.

There are simple questions with direct clear answers. How many stamps do you want? What time does the movie end? Do you want lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise with your burger? A small part of life happens on this level; but maybe we are comfortable staying here?

As an evolving species, we are called to develop a better relationship with questions. In the world of money, elegant beautiful precise questions are imperative. We must hold multiple perspectives in most situations, in order to arrive at an answer that serves what is next. And always, questions are meant to serve the other, our clients.

My body receives a very clear signal when I am being questioned for the benefit of the questioner. Depending on my day and present state of mind, sometimes I manage the questions with skill and finesse. Sometimes, however, I feel the tension in my bones where my jaw tightens and patience thins. Rest assured my response is common. When we pummel others with question after question, it feels like an automatic rifle to the gut.

By now you might be wondering, can questions come from another place other than the head? Yes, I’m glad you wondered. When we connect and relate from the heart – there is a deep somatic reality to heart connection – the questions that arise are very open, spacious, kind, curious. They feel very different than the ways of questioning above. We know by heart that the best way to connect with another is through the heart.

The art of relating with questions through the heart lives in a doctorate program. Seriously. Few of us are well equipped in this area of relating. Let’s wonder and wander as a placeholder for exploration and gain new and valuable muscle for the benefit of connection, and the benefit of others. This is generosity in motion.

Practicing heart questions,

]]>

A Hot Mess or Just Part of the Ride?https://gaylecolman.com/blog/a-hot-mess-or-just-part-of-the-ride/
Tue, 14 Aug 2018 19:09:18 +0000https://gaylecolman.com/?p=4602Each month a topic for Somatic Finance arises from current reality. The current state of affairs and my mind present relevant authentic topics and articles to share. Truth be revealed, there is a part of me who would like a clean, structured, annual writing chart that dictates monthly topics. I would write the 3rd day of each month for 1 hour at precisely 9:00 and the flow of publishing would glide to your inbox at the optimum moment you are ready, willing and able to enjoy. Then the alarm goes off….

So what is current reality in this moment?

Last month’s topic of balance, has given way to not much balance at all. I offer ‘hot mess or part of the ride’ as a name for this period in time. Let me paint a picture for you.

I am sitting in my dining room typing on my laptop. Prior to sitting, I spent at least ½ hour clearing stuff off of the table and sorting, just enough, to make the space workable. A few moments ago I turned my head left and spotted a large bolt of black construction protection paper for floors. (We completed a complicated bathroom renovation last fall and surprise frozen/broken water pipes in the winter.) The floor protection paper was for that work. I say to myself, this could be worse; I could have missed this for another year.

My life is jam-packed with concerns, obligations, desires, passions, wants, needs … and so is yours. Some of us are skilled at being on the ride. Some of us tilt – out of balance – and become a hot mess. I am on the verge of a hot mess and offer the aspects of these moments, months, and movements that brought me here.

It isn’t enough to say that my parents are declining and need care. I must share that they are doing their life the way they want and though some of us are reacting with distress, burden and fear, it is what is happening. My three siblings and I hold different experiences and views on the matter. So while we give our time and energy to our parents, we also unearth all of the childhood debris that has been hidden for over 50 years. I am beautifully – yes I claim skill here – seeing the strategies I employed to navigate early childhood and cleaning up that debris, in the face of others who may or may not have such skill. It is a chess game in a house of rotating and moving mirrors.

It isn’t enough to say that I am a managing partner of a financial services business – a profession mired in confusion, fear and uncertainty. I must share that operating an evolving business, within a field of old-school thinking and controlling rules made necessary by unethical leaders, requires supercharged resiliency. I must share that the demands of running an organization, training individuals in our work, completing tasks to satisfy internal operations and external client services, requires a montage of capacities. I must share that the complexities of the human experience are magnified tenfold when money is part of the equation. Every aspect of life is touched by money.

It isn’t enough to say that I am writing a book for the world, about Somatic Finance, to alleviate money suffering. I must share that writing is a complex, nuanced journey, especially for a person, me, who is learning to claim her authorship. I must share that I already engage a full-time position as a financial planner, a full-time position as a business owner, a full-time position as a master integral coach, a full-time position as a volunteer, mother, daughter, sister, spouse, friend, student, teacher, partner, gardener (oh how I love gardening.)

It isn’t enough to say that I am deeply concerned about life on earth, this planet and the capacity for world leaders to make decisions that include the welfare of all beings. This message is not built to withstand a political debate. But, like all of you, I am steeped in our hurting world – learning new moves and taking fearless steps as best as I am able.

I’ll pause here to take a breath. Please breathe with me as you wonder into your own hot mess or the ride of your life.

And yet here I am so concerned about others’ needs, wants and desires that the fire in my belly has grown from frustration to rage and my back aches. Fortunately I am not frothing at the mouth scurrying like a Tasmanian devil. But I am very close. My body, my best friend, supports this truth, and me, always. I am engaging practices to support my growth. My developmental practices are showing me my current way of being so that I may develop new muscles to abide – heartfully – on the ride … this ride of life.

How are you in this present time, this present moment?
How are the messages to “be here now” and power of positive thinking working for you?
How do the hundreds of online courses to shapeshift your mind, heart and soul meet you when all hell is breaking loose?

No answers are offered. I am wondering with you, and I notice a tiny smile followed by a bubble giggle. Writing, revealing, offering – authentic expression – allows the crack to open further and light to shine in.

Be fully in your hot mess or on the ride.
I’m on mine.

Riding hot and messy,

]]>Rebalance… portfolios, postures, practices, professions… life!https://gaylecolman.com/somatic-finance-articles/rebalance-portfolios-postures-practices-professions-life/
Fri, 27 Jul 2018 17:05:33 +0000https://gaylecolman.com/?p=4368In the financial profession, rebalancing portfolios is a common practice for managing investments. Portfolio rebalancing is a discipline to align an investment policy with its guiding values (e.g. risk tolerance, asset classes, timelines), in order to meet objectives. From a practical investment management perspective, this action is very important. From the perspective of what gives life meaning and purpose, it may mean very little.

When sitting for a long period of time, for example in meditation, a balanced posture enables one to stay relaxed in the seat. Slightly moving forward, back, and side-to-side, will produce a “sweet-spot” – a centered, balanced, vertical alignment which allows ease, relaxation, and the ability to stay.

For decades we’ve heard adages about attending to work/life balance. How about the proverb “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”? (And yes, it is a proverb, not a movie quote, dating from at least 1659…) Or the term workaholic, for someone who spends too much time at the office, neglecting family and friends. Balancing time between two important variables of life is a familiar conundrum.

As we age, or if we have a mobility-hindering accident, balance becomes more prominent for our well-being. Each visit to my parent’s home, as they tenderly and slowly weaken in body and mind, I witness the decline in their ability to stand and walk. Indeed, their physical balance is at risk each time they move. It is both heartbreaking and sobering. And I am paying attention.

Three months ago, I began a new balancing practice for my body (see this month’s 5 Minute Try-It) that I engage in the morning and evening while brushing my teeth. For the two-minute timer on my electric toothbrush, I balance on one foot; mornings, the left, evenings, the right. In my bare feet, focused attention is required. My balance has improved. I feel the tiny muscles in my legs working. These are the muscles that are generally forgotten, but are the ones that keep us upright.

What do you notice, as you peruse these common phrases?
What thoughts come to mind?
Are any body impulses registering?

These word-polarities demonstrate an outdated view. Our everyday phrases indicate either/or, rather than “both, and.” One, or the other. This, or that. One or the other end of the spectrum.

I seek a common ground, a middle, a landing. In my reality, balance spirals. A continuum moving up and down, left and right, front and back – in every direction. In the simplest of examples, when my mother falls, where exactly did she lose her balance?

I sense a flow of energy and life, where our bodies move through space, with other bodies, objects, and natural surroundings. We name this flow “balance,” to give our minds something for reference. As Laura Divine, co-founder of Integral Coaching of Canada, quoted below in Be Moved, in this never-ending developmental journey, we find a fresh balance of the whole. The whole is more than two parts.

In this present-day modern world, “either-or” thinking, reacting, planning and sensing is sub-par. Expect inferior results, with one or the other. In all aspects of life, including money of course, we are called to grow our awareness and our actions. What was perfectly agreeable yesterday, given certain circumstances and choices, is not workable today. We stay awake each moment to all of the parts, to gain access to the direction of wholeness. Growing physical balance, like in the simple practice I am engaging, enables us to access this whole.